


thanks a lot, cho

by babylupin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Fluff, M/M, Not a rewrite, but im gonna post it anyway, but not the actual ball, idk where I was going with this, it's a whole mess, just the ball bit, so fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 14:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16064834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babylupin/pseuds/babylupin
Summary: super angsty!harry wondering who he should take to the ball and figuring out that the way he feels towards a certain fluffy-haired hufflepuff might not be jealousy after all





	thanks a lot, cho

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote a large part of this while listening to troye sivan's new album, especially 'what a heavenly way to die'. i recommend. it's the soundtrack of hedric.

The Yule Ball was drawing ever closer and Harry still hadn’t found a date. There were plenty of girls that wanted to go with him, but Harry didn’t want to ask just anyone; he wanted to take someone he liked (and actually knew). He was so busy trying to get Ron and Hermione to talk to each other that he hardly had any time when he could ask anyone anyway. Ever since Ron had spectacularly mucked up in an attempt to ask Hermione to be his date, the two had been arguing more than ever. 

“Are there no cherry scones left? Fuck, I was really craving those…” Ron whined at breakfast one morning towards the end of December.

“I suppose you’ll just have to settle for one of the  _ lesser _ scones, then, won’t you?” Hermione muttered. Ron opened his mouth to retaliate, but Harry put a hand on his arm and shook his head.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “Just leave it.”

Ron grumbled but agreed, and selected a raisin scone from the basket on the table. An excited giggling suddenly filled the Hall, and Harry looked round and groaned.

“Here we go,” he rolled his eyes. “I’ll bet  _ he’s _ already got a date to the ball…”

Ron turned to see what Harry was scowling at and saw Cedric Diggory coming into the Great Hall, followed closely by a chattering group of girls who were whispering and watching him adoringly. As Cedric passed Harry and Ron, he offered them a kind smile, which Harry did not return.

“What’s he playing at?” Harry frowned, turning back to his porridge. “Thinking that if he smiles at me, I’ll swan over him like the rest of them and just, what,  _ forfeit _ my place in the Tournament? Fat chance. I didn’t want to do it anyway but I’m not backing out now and I’m definitely not backing out because of  _ him _ .”

“It’s not like you have a choice,” Hermione cut in, not looking up from the copy of the  _ Prophet _ she was reading. “Besides, I think you’re overthinking things, Harry. I’m sure Cedric’s just being friendly.”

“Oh, well, of course  _ you’d _ say that: you’re a girl!” Ron scoffed, and Hermione glared at him.

“I’m surprised you can remember!” Hermione snarled. With that, she got up and marched out of the Hall. Harry was surprised that there wasn’t a haze of smoke following her. Ron was muttering something rude but Harry wasn’t listening: he was watching Cedric at the Hufflepuff table. He glowered at the way Cedric’s entire face seemed to light up when he laughed, and at the dimples that appeared on either side of his mouth when he smiled… Harry shuddered and looked away.

“Look, we really do need to get dates soon, mate,” Ron said to him as they walked to Charms. Harry nodded half-heartedly, his mind still on Cedric and how easy it must have been for  _ him _ to find a date.

“It’s Wednesday, so let’s agree: when we go back to the common room after dinner on Friday, we’ll both have dates. That gives us three days … I think… Okay?”

“Yeah. That sounds good. Friday night.” Harry mumbled, pulling his things out of his bag and settling down in his chair. Hermione sat with Neville and pointedly ignored Ron and Harry for the length of the double lesson. 

For the remainder of the day, Harry tried to think of someone he could go to the ball with. His mind kept wandering back to Cho, but the thought of him actually asking her to go with him made him laugh. He tried asking Ginny, but she said she was already going with Neville. Harry didn’t know who else he could go with and actually have a good time with. He didn’t want to go with the first girl he found and just ignore her all night; that would be rude and insensitive, and Harry was neither rude nor insensitive.

Meanwhile, everywhere Harry went, Cedric seemed to be. It was like he was stalking him; reminding him that Harry didn’t have a date to the ball. Granted, Harry didn’t know for sure whether Cedric actually  _ did _ have a date of his own, but the likelihood was fairly high. Harry constantly found himself brooding over Cedric’s handsomeness, wishing that he could be so effortlessly good-looking.

As Harry walked from Divination to dinner on the penultimate day of school; the day before he and Ron were supposed to have dates for the ball, he ran into Cho Chang.

“Oh! Hi, Harry,” she beamed at him, sweeping her hair out of her face with grace.

“Hi…” Harry mumbled, blushing furiously. They stood there awkwardly for a second before Cho shrugged and continued on her way. Harry swore under his breath and then ran after her.

“Cho! Wait!” he called, and she stopped and turned, still smiling.

“Yes?”

“Listen - uh…” Harry stopped. He hadn’t thought about how he was going to ask. “I - er - wangoballwime?”

“Pardon?”

“Sorry…” Harry mentally slapped himself. “Do you - er - d’you want to go to the ball with me?”

“Oh. Er - I’m really sorry, Harry, but somebody’s already asked me, and - well, I said I’d go with them…”

Harry nodded. “Right. Fine. No problem.”

He made to walk away but she reached out and touched his arm. “I really am sorry, Harry.”

He smiled at her and shook his head.

“Just - just out of interest, who’re you going with?”

“Cedric. Cedric Diggory.”

Harry nodded and they parted, moving in opposite directions down the corridor. Harry muttered a string of swear words under his breath as he walked into the Great Hall, earning himself a gobsmacked look from the Fat Friar. He ignored it and sat down beside Ron, positively fuming.

“What’s up with you?” Ron grunted through his stew.

Harry leaned in closer so he wouldn’t be overheard. He was embarrassed enough as it is. “I just asked Cho to the ball-”

“Good on you, mate!”

“-she said no.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I asked her to the ball and not only did she say no, but she said that she had already been asked by someone. I asked her who she was going with - just in a casual way, yeah? Guess who it was? Fucking  _ Cedric Diggory _ . On Merlin’s tits, he’s out to get me. He could have  _ any _ girl in school, and he chooses the  _ one _ girl that  _ I _ want to go with.”

“Hard luck, mate, sorry.” Ron patted Harry’s back.

Harry aggressively tore into a bread roll and looked around. “Where’s Er-my-knee?” he asked thickly.

“Fuck knows.” 

“What about you? Any luck finding a date?”

Ron shook his head gravely. “Nope.”

They ate the rest of their dinner with very little conversation, both of them feeling extremely glum and sorry for themselves. They hung their heads as they departed for the common room, and just as they were stepping onto the staircase, Harry felt a hand on his arm. Harry turned and found himself face-to-face with Cedric Diggory. His heart skipped a beat. Probably because of how much Harry disliked Cedric. He mumbled for Ron to keep going and that he’d meet him in the common room later.

“Cedric.” Harry stepped off the staircase and towards the other boy.

“Harry, I - Cho told me about how you asked her to the ball…”

_ Great.  _ Harry thought to himself.  _ Make things even worse for me and tell the boy who got to you first that I tried asking you out. Thanks a lot, Cho. _

“Cho and I aren’t going out,” said Cedric, and Harry looked up suddenly.

“You aren’t?”

“No, we’re just friends. I only asked her to the ball to get all the other girls off my tail. It didn’t work.” Cedric smiled and Harry felt a pain in his chest. It was probably due to how irritatingly handsome Cedric was.

“So…?”

“So, if you want to go with her, that’s fine.”

Harry would have loved to say yes to this offer, but something inexplicable to him caused him to say, “No, it’s alright. I’ll find someone.”

Cedric nodded. “Okay. Well … goodnight!”

“Bye.”

*

As Harry lay in bed that night, he kept replaying the conversation with Cedric in his head, over and over again. It had been so decent of Cedric to give up his date so that Harry could go with Cho instead. He hated talking of Cho like this; like she was some sort of object that the lucky boy won over. Cho wasn’t an object: she was a girl. A girl whom Harry liked very much and obviously wanted to go to the ball with. He envied Cedric - for being so handsome, for being so kind, for being the one who got to take Cho to the ball… There wasn’t a doubt in Harry’s mind that the two of them would be the most radiant and attractive couple at the ball. And Harry would have to watch miserably from the side as Cedric whirled around the dancefloor with Cho in his arms.

Harry saw Cho coming into the Great Hall next morning at breakfast. Much to his surprise, he felt an odd lurch of jealousy towards her. Why was he jealous of Cho? For having such kempt hair? Harry shook the feeling and returned to his baked beans, staring resolutely at a drop of pumpkin juice on the table.

“Looks like we won’t be have dates by tonight,” he said glumly to Ron as they walked through the snow to Herbology. He hadn’t told Ron about what Cedric had said. When Ron had asked, Harry told him that Cedric was asking about the egg, to which Ron had retorted with a very dramatic gasp followed by a monologue of how Cedric pretended to be nice while really he was a ‘cheating scumbag’. Harry stayed silent.

“There’s no chance now,” Ron agreed sadly. Hermione rolled her eyes rather pointedly, but Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs so that he wouldn’t retaliate.

“Will you tell us who  _ your _ date is yet, Hermione?” Harry asked her conversationally.

She scowled at him. “No, I won’t.”

At lunch later on, Hermione watched as Harry and Ron whispered about who they could go to the ball with and said, “Why don’t you just go with each other?”

“I don’t like Harry like that,” said Ron simply.

“Obviously, you moron, I meant  _ platonically _ .”

“Oh… I dunno. I didn’t think of that. But we can’t!”

“Why not?” said Harry and Hermione together.

“Because - because-” Ron spluttered, but Harry wasn’t listening: a wave of comprehension had suddenly washed over him, and he tuned out of Ron and Hermione’s argument to go over his thoughts. 

He thought of going to the ball with Ron, as a joke, but then another boy’s head replaced Ron’s, and Harry was waltzing around the floor (terribly, on his part) with Cedric. Harry wasn’t entirely surprised that the thought of him feeling like …  _ this _ about another boy before had never truly occurred to him before then. As Hermione and Ron bickered beside him, Harry thought about how much he had adored Oliver Wood while under his captaincy… Had that been a bit of a crush? Was Harry gay? No, he couldn’t be; not with the way he felt about Cho… 

Bisexual. Bi. Was he bi? He’d never even given his sexuality a second thought before, but now it was all he could think about. Perhaps this was why he had felt a slight pang of jealousy towards Cho - because he wasn’t just envious of Cedric for going with Cho, but of Cho for going with Cedric.

_ Of course he was bi. _ It all made sense now. Harry remembered how much he had disliked Cedric but how much he hadn’t really. He just didn’t know what to do with himself. He hadn’t even  _ known _ he’d been crushing on Cedric for as long as he’d fancied Cho, probably. Sometime in his third year, he thought.

“Deal’s off,” Harry said suddenly to Ron, who barely registered what Harry had said. Harry got up and slung his bag over his shoulder, marching out of the Great Hall and running headlong into the last person he wanted to see: Cedric.

“Hey, Harry-”

“Sorry, I’ve got to go,” Harry mumbled, bowing his head so Cedric wouldn’t see him blushing.

“But-”

“Later!” Harry called over his shoulder as he took the stairs to the common room two at a time. He burst into the dormitory, which was, fortunately, deserted. Harry threw himself onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow, letting out an obscene groan.

It was bad enough when Harry had to deal with his feelings for Cho, but now he was conscious that he had the same feelings for  _ Cedric _ too. He wondered whether his mind would be able to handle all of this; could it just burn out instead? It would save Harry a bloody lot of pain if it could.

“Harry?”

Harry looked up to see Ron standing in the doorway, clearly unsure of whether or not he should come into the room.

“Hey, mate,” Harry sat up quickly, pushing his emotions down into his stomach and swallowing the lump in his throat. “Sorry for running out on you…”

Ron shrugged. “‘S’alright. What’s up?”

“I just- I’m a bit - it’s just a bit much.”

“What is?”

Harry sighed. “Everything. Nothing.”

Ron gave him a puzzled look, and Harry shook his head. “Nevermind…”

“You said the deal’s off…?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah. I don’t want to ask anyone as a last resort just to fit some stupid deadline we made up. We’ve got - what? - eight, nine days until the ball? I’m sure we can both find dates by then. There isn’t any need to rush.”

“Alright,” Ron nodded and sighed. After a moment, he added, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Harry considered confiding in Ron: he knew Ron would support him and listen to what he had to say, but at that moment, Harry didn’t feel like talking about his apparently enormous crush on Cedric Diggory. As much as Ron would be there for him, he’d probably laugh too and Harry didn’t need that right now. 

The bell rang in the distance and Harry sighed as he followed Ron to Charms. He hardly followed what Flitwick was saying in the lesson, and paid no attention whatsoever in History of Magic. At the end of the day, Harry was more confused than ever and had no idea what to do about his feelings. Cedric was on his mind  _ constantly _ . At least now Harry understood why.

Harry had been so invested in his thoughts and trying to find a solution to his feelings for Cedric that he hadn’t been looking where he was going and collided into a solid wall that turned out to be a very tall person. A very tall _boy_. A very tall _Hufflepuff_ boy. Cedric. “Hey, Harry-”

“Sorry, I’ve got to go!” Harry mumbled, going bright red and trying to move away, but Cedric reached out and grabbed Harry’s arm. His grip was incredibly loose, but Harry stopped immediately and mentally cursed himself for being such a fool. 

“I need to talk to you…” Cedric said, smiling confidently.

“Go on then.” Harry hadn’t meant to sound so rude, but, fortunately, Cedric took no offence.

“Listen - uh - can we meet later on? After dinner, maybe?”

Harry hesitated. He  _ should  _ turn Cedric down: Harry knew the intensity of his feelings and didn’t want to torture himself by spending time with Cedric. But then again, how could he refuse?

“Sure. Where?”

“Er - the library?”

Harry nodded. “Okay. I’ll go to dinner for half an hour and then go to the library. See you later.”

Cedric smiled warmly and Harry felt his heart skip a beat. He stared after Cedric as he walked away in the opposite direction, and stood gazing into the distance for so long that he was three minutes late for Charms.

*

Harry wolfed down his food at dinner that evening. Hermione watched him with an expression that was nothing short of utter disgust. He was sitting facing the Hufflepuff table and kept catching himself glancing up to stare at the back of Cedric’s head. After he’d been in the Great Hall for half an hour, he muttered a made-up excuse to Ron and Hermione and departed, leaving them to bicker by themselves.

The library was almost deserted when Harry strode in, save for two seventh-year Ravenclaws working silently in the corner. Harry casually walked up and down the aisles, looking around for any signs of Cedric before deciding that he had beat him there. He went back to the shelves by the door and perused the many thick volumes, pretending to look for something while he waited.

“There you are,” Cedric’s voice was a low whisper. Harry turned, his cheeks already flushing pale pink. There he was. As good-looking and charming as ever. A small part of Harry hated that he had to like  _ Cedric _ of all people. The one person who was least likely to ever even  _ think about _ Harry like that.

“Come this way,” Cedric beckoned to Harry, and Harry followed him blindly, not even noticing that they had left the library until Cedric was leading him into an empty classroom.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Harry asked.

“I - er - well, the truth is… Okay, hear me out-”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know how to say this…” Cedric said through a smile that made Harry go weak at the knees.

“Then just say it,” Harry replied simply. “Just say it.”

He unconsciously moved closer towards the other boy. They were standing so close that Harry could feel Cedric’s breath on his face. The height of Harry’s hair made it look like he wasn’t much shorter than Cedric, but his eyes were only just level with Cedric’s mouth, and it was extremely difficult not to stare at it. Cedric’s lips were pink and perfect. Harry thought that Cedric must use some sort of chapstick or a spell to keep his lips looking pillow-soft. Harry could feel Cedric’s eyes on him, and swallowed before meeting his gaze.

“Harry, I-” Cedric smiled as he trailed off. Harry couldn’t help grinning at how flustered the other boy seemed to be. It was quite ridiculous how - and Harry couldn’t really think of another word that fit -  _ cute _ Cedric was.

“Just say it…” Harry whispered again, his voice barely audible.

“I-I can’t.”

“Cedric...” Harry sighed, his tongue clicking on the last  _ C _ of the name. He took Cedric’s hands in his own and Cedric jumped slightly at the touch, but did not resist. 

“Harry…” Cedric replied, his silver-grey eyes boring holes in Harry’s. Harry felt like the rest of the school; the rest of the world had melted away. He’d never been in a situation like this before and wasn’t sure what to do. The two of them were just standing there, gazing into each other’s eyes with their hands intertwined between them.

“I- Harry, I  _ like _ you,” Cedric’s quiet whisper trailed off into nothing on the last word.

Harry felt his heart skip a beat and colour creep into his cheeks. He smiled as he leaned closer to Cedric, raising himself up on the tips of his toes to whisper into Cedric’s ear, “I like you too.”

He pulled away and saw that Cedric was beaming at him. He was even more beautiful when he smiled, and Harry had never seen him grin so widely. Cedric let go of Harry’s hands and slung his arms around Harry’s neck, pulling Harry into the warmest hug of his life (although the only hugs he’d received were after he’d turned eleven).

Harry wanted the hug to last forever, but what came after was infinitely more incredible. As Harry pulled away from where his head had rested on Cedric’s shoulder, his cheek grazed Cedric’s and he couldn’t resist himself any longer: he clumsily pushed his lips against the other boy’s. He instantly felt warmth course through him, all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes. It was better than he’d expected, and Cedric’s lips were warm and soft and tasted like honey. Cedric pushed his head forward slightly and Harry smiled through the kiss at how gentle Cedric was,  _ all the time. _

“So…” Cedric whispered once they had parted. Harry was so happy that he still felt like he was floating; the soaring feeling in his heart lingered even after the kiss had ended.

“So…” Harry grinned.

“Will you go to the ball with me?” Cedric asked, smiling the same inexplicably gorgeous smile that seemed permanently etched onto his perfect face.

“I’d like nothing more.” Harry beamed. Cedric lowered his head and kissed Harry again. It didn’t last as long as the first one but it was equally wonderful.

Cedric held the door open for Harry as they left, and offered to walk Harry back to Gryffindor Tower, but Harry politely declined and waved goodbye as they headed in opposite directions.

“Where’ve you been, mate?” Ron called from across the common room as Harry climbed through the portrait hole five minutes later.

Harry shook his head and dropped into the seat beside Hermione. Ron was grinning at him.

“What’s up with you?”

“I’ve got a date! To the ball!”

Harry gaped at him. “Really? Who?”

“Ginny’s friend, Luna.”

“Who’s that?”

Ron shrugged. “No idea. But Gin says she’s really cool.”

Harry grinned at him. It seemed that they had made their deadline after all.


End file.
